Aaro Ek Prithibi review: Atanu Ghosh portrays a modern fairy tale of a brave woman

3.5/5

Story: After three months of their marriage, Pratiksha (Tasnia Farin) lands in London to meet her husband Aritro (Shaheb Bhattacherjee), who works there. However, upon her arrival, Aritro goes missing. Pratiksha doesn’t believe that her husband has cheated on her and must have run away with someone else. But she wants to see the end. She meets Ayesha (Anindita Basu) and Srikanta Munsi (Kaushik Ganguly) and gets on to a job to find Aritro. 

Review: Atanu Ghosh paints a picture of an imaginary world that constantly makes you feel real. A large portion of the film converses in English and that adds a bit of a global feeling to the film. However, the characters in the film and their emotions are known to us for sure. As a result, the film becomes a smooth journey over the curves and rough contours of life. 

Aaro Ek Prithibi is essentially a story of a young Bengali woman, Pratiksha, who hails not from Kolkata but from a smaller town, Naihati. She is determined and gritty but does not overwhelm the viewers with her conviction. The film becomes a dreamy journey of this young woman and it is definitely not starkly realistic. 

On her journey, she meets this wizard-like violin player, Srikanto. Kaushik Ganguly meticulously portrays the nuances of the character. His forte is terse dialogue delivery and has worked like magic. 

Through Srikanto, Atanu also takes us to a lesser-explored London that is far away from the shine and sheen of Canary Wharf and Westminster. The film was shot in and around Ealing – a residential area away from the bustle of Central London. The film scratches the surface of the usual portrayal and brings out the humane sides of the suburbans that often keep the stereotypically racist and ruthless side of London away. The film of course talks about the thousands of homeless people and their life, the crimes that take place in the dark, and the gaping hole between the haves and the have-nots. On the other hand, in Ayesha, and the landlady of Aritro, our faith in simple human compassion is reassured. It is comforting and very close to the real nature of a gigantic city that also has a big heart. Atanu portrays the essential spirit of another London that very few people seem to mind about.

Tasnia is a treat to watch on screen. The film revolves around her character, Pratiksha. She is smart yet not from a big city. It is her indomitable conviction that makes the character stand out. And boy Tasnia is good. Her stoic face does not give away what’s in her mind and she shows the colour of her pain and laughter. She does not cry often and she is definitely not the damsel in distress. Rather, it is a modern fairy tale where she takes the adversities head-on. Yet she is compassionate and believes in magic. Tasnia is a talent you want to see more of. Along with her, Anindita as Ayesha and Shaheb as Aritro are also very convincing. The character of Ayesha is not of a plain Jane. It has a blend of compassion, responsibility, survival strategy, and free will. Anindita does a smart job. And she looks very nice on screen. Shaheb also does his job well. His space is limited but he does not falter. 

Verdict: The denouement is the weakest link but that can easily be overlooked for the otherwise pleasureful watch. If you are expecting a thriller, you will be disappointed. The film will give you a magical relief from the usual ups and downs of life. Atanu has a style of his own and that is often defined by simplicity and magic. His Aaro Ek Prithibi embodies those two.